If you notice a prairie fire this week in the Saskatoon area, there is a chance it’s a prescribed fire training exercise. Canada’s first Prescribed Fire Training Exchange is this week, hosted by Meewasin and other partner groups from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the United States along with the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange. There are 40 groups taking part including Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, and Nature Conservancy Canada.

A news release from Meewasin says planning a prescribed fire can take months and sometimes years, taking into account the temperature, humidity, vegetation moisture, wind speed and direction. If all the requirements are met, there could be a prescribed fire during this week’s training. Some of the proposed locations include Beaver Creek and Cranberry Flats Conservation Areas, the Northeast Swale or a number of the City of Saskatoon’s naturalized parks. If a prescribed fire is given the green light, the public will be notified, but it will be closed to the public to ensure safety.

Meewasin says climate, grazing and fire are the three ecological processes that have shaped and formed the prairies, and maintaining the balance of these three contributes to healthy and productive prairies.